On Lake Atitlan the wifi is somewhat inconsistent. I arrived there in San Marcos in early December just before tourist season kicked up. I share my screen for my work often, and at first this was going smoothly, but as more tourists arrived and began using the internet, speeds slowed to a crawl. I left soon after this to avoid impacts to my work. In the rainy season, there are power cuts that can last days. With a backup generator in the off season you could be ok, but I would not call the internet reliable, and it could become a source of stress. Hope this helps.

I also have a Pixel and use Google Fi and have great service usually in Nicaragua and Liberia. Like previously mentioned, most cafe’s offer wifi. I’ve done video meetings at restaurants in fairly rural Nicaragua before. I can’t speak for Guatemala as I’ve never been but it should be fine.

The internet via normal cell, when not on wifi, was basically non-existent when I was in Liberia. Saying that, almost all cafes have wifi.
Not sure if that is typical, or just the case for my own cell network, I have a Google pixel on Googles cell network here in the US and it’s pretty bad here too if not on wifi…

Thanks 0frontiers, I didn’t want to risk flyonward as they seem to have gone awol lately. I’m headed to San Juan Del Sur

To answer my own question for posterity after having gone through this: Yes, spirit does require a return ticket. Fortunately, they also have a 24 hour full refund cancellation policy so I was able to book a ticket at the airport and cancel it online once I arrived in Nicaragua.

Enter with Flyonward ticket very recommended, been using it twice here in Mexico and it saved me (they asked me tickets both time) Not worth risking for 10-15 dollars fee you can get fake ticket and pass trough.

Where in NICA are you headed?

This thread is a bit old but I’ll throw in my two cents! I’m part of the team at a new coworking and coliving space in San Juan del Sur (we opened our doors on January 1) and have been a big hit ever since, there was definitely a demand for space like ours down here! Hooking up fibre optic internet was a huge game changer and we’ve got and entire backup system for when power does go out. If you’re ever back in the area we’d love to have you! More info at http://nomad.life!

Hi there,

I’ve been living in San Juan Del Sur for the past 4 months and I have mixed feelings: on one side, you have amazing beaches and great surf spots, some nice cafés, a large expat community (for the better or the worse), a yoga studio, + many services and products that you may not find in the rest of Nicaragua… On the other side, it has unfortunately become party / drug town and I think there are too many loud people who aren’t very respectful. Also many foreigners passing through and living here have almost completely obliterated the local and cultural touch of the place. San Juan Del Sur is generally safe and Internet is average (I have a 2 MB connection which is probably the fastest you can have in the whole country).

Since 2013, I’ve spent about 8 months in Nicaragua. I’ve worked from many places in the country (Bluefields, San Carlos, Esteli, Matagalpa…) and really liked Jinotepe in the North, but you may feel lonely there if you don’t speak Spanish: I did not meet any foreigners there.

If you have more questions about Nicaragua, feel free to ask.

I’ve heard good things about Nicaragua and will be staying 1 month in Granada in a few weeks. Can update here again about the city if you want to
I also recommend the fb group “digital nomads around the world” - there were a few threads about Nicaragua.

Hi

You should check out Based Coworking. We are arranging a coworking tour in Aug this year. Be great to have you on board!

http://www.basedcoworking.com/nicaragua17/

Cheers!

Hi, we are currently in Ecuador. Have been here 3 weeks already and will be leaving in mid March after visiting most of the major towns / cities etc as well as Galapagos Islands. Ping me if you want to know our view of Ecuador. Else we’ll have written a blog post on Quito in a few days, now that we have left there.

Cheers, Paul

Panama City is worth it … there’s an old colonial area worth wandering around… there’s a boardwalk area worth wandering around… there’s plenty of life in Panama City.

As far as going to Granada – um… you can fly… you can bus… you can get a shuttle to the border in David… rent a car in costa rica… drive up the west coast to the nica border… or drop off at liberia airport and get another shuttle… and then rent a car on the nica side… or get shuttles the whole way. (I don’t know your budget.)

Bus would be least expensive… You could also send your luggage via DSL and ride a bicycle if you wanted LOL. Many many ways to get from Panama to Granada. (I love Granada btw – nice choice … the little islands with houses on them there are really cool… some good food, art, furniture… nice colonial town - you’ll love it.)